Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Enna Burning

This book is recommended for advanced readers in sixth grade and up.Genre: Fantasy

Book Summary:Enna's friend, Isi, has the power to speak to and move the wind. When Enna discovers an ability to do the same with fire, she is glad she can use it to help Bayern in the war against Tira. But fire is not easy to control. Enna does not want to become a monster. Can she learn to control the need to burn, or will it destroy her?

Book Review:The special thing about Shannon Hale’s books is that they are unlike any other author’s work. The magic builds quietly. Even as intense, dramatic events occur, readers are not yanked from terror to joy on the emotional equivalent of a jerking wooden rollercoaster. There is fantasy, and there is romance, but these things become part of a character’s fuller life, which includes various meaningful relationships and purpose. This is true in The Princess Academy, and in The Goose Girl, and in The Book of a Thousand Days, but less so in Enna Burning. It’s not necessarily wrong to have emotionally indulgent moments, but it’s unusual to read something by Shannon Hale and be reminded of Twilight, if it were set 500 years ago. Some readers may find this book more appealing than her others for this reason, but I found it disappointing. The plot twists and crises may have more shock value, but they also feel less natural.

Strong heroines are a trademark of this author, and I am used to cheering for them as they fight for a greater good. Enna is an instrument of war, and while her internal conflict about her power is compelling, she is less admirable than some of Hale’s other protagonists.